Marketing Mimics Memes

April 4, 2008

Rickrolling hit a tipping point on April Fool’s Day. I tried to explain my fascination with it to coworkers (click here for a full explanation, I told them!) but couldn’t.

Today I took in a seminar on guerilla marketing and realized that marketers envy memes. If I could craft a message that got passed on a enthusiastically as lolcats are forwarded, I could move markets with one email. (I’m in ur strategy movin ur market). If I could develop a product as simultaneously disposable and durable as Rick Astley, I’d have lifelong planned obsolescence.

Rarely do marketers create memes. Most die without ever creating a “where’s the beef” campaign.